Half-Ghost Kitsune
by yurei king
Summary: Clockwork is once again called to alter the fate of a child to avoid chaos. The advice of a brother sparks a plan that will have unforeseeable consequences. Will the world's newest Phantom rise to the challenge, or fall to the darkness inside his own soul? NarutoXharem, will be with humans and at least 2 ghosts.
1. Chapter 1

Deep within the swirling void of the Ghost Zone, the ghost master of time, Clockwork himself hovered before the mirror he used to view the human world. The ancient spirit's eyes were narrowed in concentration as he watched a boy clad in a blue and orange jumpsuit jump through the trees with a large scroll strapped to his back.****

**"**Is this the one," he asked, turning to the two Observers, spirits who watched the universe and documented the events that transpired. Many times they had come to Clockwork to change a certain event to avoid disaster in the future.****

**"**Yes," one of the one-eyed ghosts responded. "We have seen this boy's future. It is just like the haf-ghost millennia ago. The boy will become a vicious and ruthless destroyer. Last time we came to you to destroy the one whose future was like this. Instead you found a way to simply change the pattern. We had hopes that you could do this once more."****

Clockwork did not answer right away, instead he waved his hand before the portal and image changed to portray a battlefield littered with bodies and stained with blood. In the midst of the carnage stood a single man. He was dressed in black trousers and and dark blue shirt. Crimson energy wreathed him in a burning cloak, casting a faint glow all around him. His gaze drifted across the field, lips slightly curved in a satisfied smirk before he burst out laughing.****

**"**The path the boy seems destined to walk is most dark indeed," the ghost said. "Truly it seems like another Daniel Fenton. Thus, as I saved Daniel from his future I shall strive to do the same with this...Naruto Uzumaki."****

The Observers bowed. "We shall leave this in your most capable hands Clockwork," they said in unison before turning and floating through his door. ****

Alone once more, Clockwork pondered how he could save Naruto from his imminent fate. First he had to discover the turning point, the trigger that starts the series of events that accumulate into the carnage of the future. Again the master of time waved his hand in front of the portal. 'I must turn to the first page of this story before I can change the ending.'****

And so he watched the events surrounding Naruto's birth. The masked man who forced the demon known as the Kyuubi to attack Konohagakure after forcefully removing it from the boy's mother. His father sealing the beast into his newborn son and the years of abuse caused by this decision.****

**"**This is obviously a large part of it," he muttered. "But I don't believe that it is all of it."****

**"**Maybe you should look at the present brother and stop thinking the answer is always in the past."****

Clockwork turned to see a new spirit had entered his domain. This ghost's skin was the same as his own, but his cloak was made of a dark green cloth. Under his cloak he wore a leather cuirass, brown trousers and thick leather boots In his right hand he clutched a staff similar to Clockwork's.****

**"**Hello Erasmus," Clockwork said, a small smile on his face. "What brings you to my hall great master of space?"**  
****  
****"**I come because the Observers came to see me as well," Erasmus said, walking forward until he stood next to his brother before the viewing portal. "I stood by and watched your efforts with Daniel Phantom without doing anything at all. Although everything turned out alright it was still very close. I am simply here as extra insurance."****

Clockwork nodded and turned the portal's back to the present, where Mizuki and Iruka, Naruto's instructors in the Shinobi Academy, were arguing. Naruto sat hidden behind a tree nearby, listening to every word.****

They listened as Iruka defended his student and they watched said student save his life and reduce Mizuki into a sniveling, whimpering bloody heap.****

**"**I still don't see how this indicates anything about how his future," Clockwork said.****

**"**Watch his smile," Erasmus answered. "It fades when Iruka's back is turned. There is hatred in that boy, buried deep below his mask of a simple clown. The doubt remains, only his faith in Iruka was restored, but after this night he probably trusts no one."****

**"**What do you think we should do?"****

**"**Maybe we should gift him with the same powers as Daniel," the green cloaked spirit suggested.****

**"**And how will that help?"****

**"**I was not finished brother. During my wanderings in the Zone I came across a few spirits who, like this boy, have a desire to simply be accepted and have their dreams come true. I believe that it is possible to bring a positive influence into young Naruto's life as well as bring peace to a few unfortunate souls."****

**"**Who do you suggest we give this responsibility to Erasmus?"****

**"**I have sent for them, it may take some time to answer so might I suggest we do what we are able to in the meantime?"****

Clockwork nodded and began to think. "You must be the one to bestow the powers of the Phantom," he said. "We must do this tonight, after he returns to his apartment. But we still have the issue of the beast sealed within him to consider. From what I have viewed of his future it would seem that it had a negative effect on his personality."****

Erasmus remained silent. He could see that his brother was onto something and was reluctant to break his train of thought.****

**"**You wouldn't happen to be capable of forging a body out of a mixture of ectoplasm and flesh would you," the purple cloaked ghost inquired.**  
****  
**Believing to know where his brother's thoughts were headed, Erasmus crossed his arms and pondered the question. "It is possible," he finally said. "But it will require a great deal of concentration. Plus the body will only be able to handle so much of the beasts power."****

**"**But it would be well worth the effort if we got the Kyuubi to agree to aid the child in battle," Clockwork reasoned. "It would be similar to the Inuzuka family in his world, only the fox will be able to change into a phantom form along with him."****

**"**Your idea is interesting. Well, it appears the boy has finally gone home and fallen asleep. Shall we begin?"****

Instead of answering, Clockwork simply gestured to the portal, now showing what appeared to be a dimly lit sewer with a massive cage in the far wall. The brothers stepped through the portal and into Naruto's mindscape to make a deal with a demon.****

The two ancient spirits walked with a determined stride toward the Kyuubi's cage where the beast itself watched them from the shadows.****

**'****Clockwork. Erasmus. Why do you visit me now?'******

**"**Kurama," Erasmus said, bowing his head slightly in greeting. "It has been a long time since we spoke with your original form. As I recall once you were split into the nine bijuu it was you who retained the most memories from your time as the juubi."****

The fox nodded, smirking slightly. **"****That is true. But you still have not answered my question. Why do the masters of time and space come to visit an imprisoned demon in his host's mindscape?"******

It was Clockwork's turn as he stepped forward to address the fox. "I have seen the boy's future if he is to walk his current path. It ends with you under his heel and the world ground to dust under his rage."****

Kurama growled at the spirit's words. **"****So you are hoping to change his path? What does this have to do with me?"******

**"**My brother and I have come with an offer for both you and your host," Erasmus answered. "We are planning to give the boy the powers of the Phantom. We also hope to provide him with a positive influence from some new companions from the Ghost Zone."****

**"****I still fail to see how I am involved."******

**"**I know you've seen the boy's memories," Clockwork said. "You know of the mask he wears. You probably know the boy better then he knows himself. I have convinced my brother to forge a body for you out of a mixture of physical matter and ectoplasm. You will only be able to access a third of your original power but you will have some measure of freedom."****

**"****What's the catch,"**Kurama asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.****

**"**You know of the Inuzuka clan that lives with your host in the village?"****

**"****So I am to be his companion?"******

The brothers nodded. The fox remained silent as he pondered his options, but his eyes suddenly widened his lips curled up in a smirk.** "****Before you have my answer, great masters, I believe there is someone else whose opinion must be considered."******

At the Kyuubi's words both ghosts turned around to find Naruto himself watching them. "How long have you been here," Clockwork asked.****

**"**Long enough to hear about my path taking a turn for the dark side," the blond answered. "Is it true?"****

Clockwork hesitated and considered lying, but eventually just nodded. "I am afraid so, that is why we are hoping to change it."****

**"**What will this 'Phantom' power be," Naruto asked, curiosity getting the better of him.****

Erasmus stepped forward and smiled. "Allow me to explain. If you accept our offer, you will become what is called a half-ghost or halfa as the slang term is I believe. You will gain the abilities common to most spirits such as invisibility and intangibility as well as the power of flight."****

Naruto's eyes widened at what he was hearing. The skills this brown cloaked person was telling him about are every shinobi's dream to possess. ****

**"**There's more Naruto," Clockwork continued where his brother left off. "You will gain powers similar to that of the only two half-ghosts in history. They were capable of molding the ectoplasm in their bodies and using them for attacks such as blasts and even create solid plates that were nearly impossible to break." Here he paused to see if he missed anything. "There is also the possibility of you developing some powers unique to yourself. In truth a half-ghost was never intentionally created so the results will be unpredictable."****

Naruto pondered the ghosts' words. **'**_Do I really have anything to lose,'_he thought. **'**_I actually have a lot to gain if everything works out like they say it will.' He nodded to himself and looked up.'_****

**"**How long will it take?"****

Erasmus scratched his chin as he pondered the question. "Altering your genetic code into the correct pattern just to handle being merged with the ectoplasm will take a considerable amount of time and concentration. Plus you have to consider how long it will take to conjure up a new body for Kurama here so the closest estimate I can give you is...all night and at least a decent chunk out of tomorrow morning."****

**"**Before we begin there is something I wish to ask you," Clockwork said. When Naruto asked him what it was the ghost smirked at his impatience before continuing. "Is there anything you would like to request other than what we have already offered you?"****

Now it was Naruto's turn to scratch his chin, deep in thought over the inquiry.** '**_What else could I need,' _he thought.** '**_Well, what could add to this that would actually not be overkill?'_****

Instead of answering, the blond turned his gaze to the other entity that was currently sharing the same mind as him. "Can you think of anything?"****

The question caught the others off guard. Why would this boy turn to the one responsible for the hell his life had become for help. When the fox gave voice to question Naruto simply shrugged and said the past was gone, they were about to be partners so they should be able to trust each other.****

**"****In that case I would suggest you get some sort of weapon," **Kurama said, smiling at the surprisingly mature answer from his host. **"****Something to go with the whole 'phantom' thing. A change of clothing would be greatly appreciated as well."******

Clockwork smirked. "I know just who to go to for that," he said and nodded to his brother. "Erasmus will stay here to finish his part of the process. In the meantime I will be seeing to the fulfillment of your request Naruto."****

**"**Those other spirits I told you about will be arriving at your tower soon brother," the green-cloaked spirit said. "Have them stay with one of the females that will be meeting Naruto."****

The master of time nodded and stepped through the portal to the Ghost Zone. There he came face-to-face with two ghosts standing alone in his clocktower. The first appeared to be in her mid-teens and had long, flaming blue hair tied back in a ponytail at the top of her head. Two bangs framed either side of her face that, combined with her widow's peak, formed the shape of an "M". Her clothing consisted of a black one-shouldered tank-top cut to expose her midriff, a pair of black leather pants with a silver belt and platform boots with a skull design on the toe. She also wore a black choker around her neck, a black glove covering most of her right arm, a black bracelet around her left wrist and purple lipstick.****

Her green eyes glared defiantly at the master of time as her hands cradled a pick electric guitar, her weapon of choice. She was Ember McLain, the embodiment of teenage rebellion.****

Next to the rebel stood another female ghost. This one had long, thick black hair that cascaded down her back and brushed her ankles; some of her bangs covered the left side of her face, only allowing one of her crimson colored eyes to be visible. Her attire seemed to closely resemble that of a belly dancer. She wore a blue top that only just covered her ample bosom, blue pants with an intricate purple belt and her feet were bare.****

This was Desiree, the ghost who would grant your heart's desire but at a price.****

**"**Ladies, you arrived here a lot sooner than I had expected," Clockwork addressed his visitors. "I thank you for coming so quickly."**  
****  
**Desiree bowed slightly to their host. "May we ask why we were summoned here, Lord Clockwork," she asked.****

**"**Please, no need for such titles, and you were summoned here because their is a situation in the human world that my brother believes you two would be perfect in aiding us to solve."****

**"**Skip the riddles," Ember said. "Just tell us why we're here and what you need."****

Desiree glared at the rebellious ghost and opened her mouth to deliver a reprimand for such behavior, but was stopped when Clockwork chuckled. "I must say, such attitude is a refreshing change from the usual worship I am given by the inhabitants of the Ghost Zone. But I think showing you what is required of you will be easier than explaining it."****

Clockwork turned back to his portal and made it begin to start showing Naruto's life starting from the day of his birth to what had just passed earlier in the night. Finally, he showed them his conversation with Naruto and Kurama.****

**"**I believe you now know why you were summoned here," he said as he turned to see his guest's reactions. Desiree looked horrified at the thought of how the boy was treated. Ember's eyes had changed from their usual emerald green, to furiously burning red. Her fingers itched to play her guitar and send a few of the villagers into a never-ending world of pain.****

The ancient ghost's lips curled into a slight smile as he thought about the misfortunes that had plagued these two as human's as well. Perhaps his brother was hoping to help more than one unfortunate soul this time around.****

Shaking the thoughts out off his head for the moment, Clockwork turned to the matter at hand. "My brother suggested that, should you decide to help me, I should have you stay with a mortal woman that the child is to meet later in the future. What he doesn't know, is that I have found two different women for you both to choose from. I will take you to them shortly, but first I must find Skulker and Technus."****

**"**Why would you want to find those two losers," Ember asked.****

**"**The boy made a request that I believe they will be perfect for. While you wait perhaps you can try to convince Desiree to create a guitar similar to your own that can be wielded by humans. The girl I have in mind for you is a bit of a rebel herself and is fascinated in mastering any weapon she comes across."****

His part said, Clockwork departed from his tower and into the endless void all ghosts call home. He drifted for many hours as he searched for the two who could help him to arm the boy and set him on the right path. His search finally bore fruit when he came to Skulker's floating island/hunting resort.****

The island's security systems had undergone impressive remodeling thanks to the help of the newest residents of the hunter's lair. Several new traps and other goodies were hidden in the dense foliage of the jungle island.****

Clockwork simply floated past until he reached a solid style door with a small electrical panel installed in the door to the right. Pressing a small green button, the ghost leaned forward and spoke into a small microphone. "Skulker, this is Clockwork. I've come with a very special request and I would very much appreciate you and your associates assistance in this matter."****

For several seconds there was nothing to indicate he had even been heard, but then a soft hiss sounded from the door and it slid open to allow the master of time entry to the hunter's lair. Turning his usually ghostly tail into a pair of legs clad in purple trousers and black leather boots, Clockwork strode down the polished hall until he came to a large chamber filled with computer screens and various weapons hanging on the wall.**  
**Drifting between computer systems and typing away at keyboards were three ghosts. One seemed to be made entirely of metal with flaming hair, a small circular glass plate in his chest revealed a second green face with black sunglasses. He was Skulker, the Ghost Zone's self-proclaimed greatest hunter and the face in his chest belonged to the ghost known as Technus, the hunter's partner and master of all technology.****

With the technological duo was a large man clad in a bright orange jumpsuit with black hair. He was currently moving the heavy equipment around at the direction of the slimmer spirit dressed in a blue jumpsuit with a matching hood and red goggles.****

They are Jack and Madeline Fenton. Both had been ghost hunters during their time as living humans before their son and daughter taught them that ghosts were not always evil. For a time they worked together with ghosts and, when they eventually became ghosts themselves, teamed up with Skulker and Technus to create the most advanced research facility in the Ghost Zone.****

**"**Lord Clockwork," Skulker said, floating toward his visitor. "How may I help you?"****

**"**I have need of your hunting skills and Technus' skills at technology to forge a weapon that will not seem out of place in the modern human society."****

**"**You wish to place a ghostly weapon in the hands of a human? Why would you possibly consider doing that?"****

Clockwork explained the current situation and then opened a window in time to show the four ghosts Naruto's past as he had done for Ember and Desiree. By the time he was done, Skulker and Technus were floating away, discussing all possible weapons the boy could consider useful in the setting he lived in. The Fentons began asking Clockwork anything they deemed relevant to the process and avidly took notes of his answers.****

The next couple of hours were a blur of flying pieces of hardware as the group of techno-masters worked on their new project. Many ideas were pieced together and tossed aside until it was suggested to create a multi-purpose tool that would store the weapons shinobi already used and even coat the tools in a layer of ectoplasm when he shifted into his phantom form.****

This idea sparked a new rush of work and even more hours of debate until they finally finished. In the end, Clockwork was presented a simple metal bracelet just big enough to fit around Naruto's wrist. When he arched an eyebrow in silent curiosity they simply instructed him to have the boy put it on. It was programmed it read his genetic signature before activating. This would ensure that the device would work for him and only him.****

Clockwork thanked the ghosts for their time and effort and summoned a portal back to his tower. As he was about to step through Jack called out to him, one last question before he left.****

**"**Is their hope for the boy," the large man asked. All signs of the buffoon he usually acted like were gone, instead there stood a father who saw a resemblance to his own son in Naruto.****

Clockwork considered the question before looking over his shoulder. "I believe there is as much hope for him as there was for Daniel when the Observers came seeking his destruction. Whether or not he chooses the right path is completely up to him."****

Jack nodded and Clockwork disappeared into his portal, ready to begin the next phase of the plan.****

Back in his tower, Clockwork was treated to an interesting sight. A life-sized model of Naruto stood in the the center of the room while his two guests and the brother who had invited him hovered around it. This version of Naruto was taller than the original, similar to one in his class by the name of Shino Aburame and his face appeared to be missing the baby fat it had once held. ****

Gone was the orange monstrosity the boy was forced to wear, in its pace was a black t-shirt, a pair of camouflage cargo pants and black, mid-calf high, steel-toe boots. Each of the three kept making suggestions and making a different sort of clothing would appear, only for the others to disagree and send it away. The argument had obviously been going on for some time and it was very shortly going to break out into an all out war if it wasn't stopped soon.****

**"**Would you mind telling me what has prompted my millennia-old brother and two centuries-old ghosts to argue like little school children?"****

The trio froze and turned as one to see the lord of time staring at them, expression somewhere between amusement and annoyance. Desiree bowed and began to explain the cause of the fight that had been brewing for the last several minutes.****

Erasmus had arrived in the clock tower to inform his brother of the completion of his work. He found the two ghosts he had summoned, who explained where his brother had gone and he decided to wait until he returned. The girls had asked how the procedure had gone, the lord of space only grinned and created a mirror image of the boy's new form. The girls swooned at the Naruto's features, but then caught sight of his attire and immediately sought to change it.****

Ember began to suggest attire similar to her own fashion as a beginner. Desiree shot the idea down and tried to conjure an alluring ensemble from her time as a human only for Erasmus to interfere and suggest a more practical solution. Not one of the trio would back down from their opinion and an impasse was reached.****

Clockwork sighed and rubbed his left temple with his free hand. "Why do you not simply try to reach a middle ground. Give him something rebellious but make it both functional and alluring. Is it so hard to come up with such a simple solution?"**  
****  
**All three ghosts' faces turned the red with embarrassment and turned once more to their task. Soon new suggestions began to fly and Naruto's new fashion was pieced together out of imagination.****

In the end, the Naruto replica stood dressed in a black leather jacket with white running across the shoulders over a sleeveless black shirt, camo cargo pants and black, steel-toed boots. Carved into the toe of the boots was a skull wreathed in electric blue flames. On the back of his jacket was the kanji for "kitsune" in bright crimson. ****

**"**Well, we've decided on how he shall look as a human," Erasmus said. "Now to see what he shall look like as a phantom." The ancient spirit waved his hand and the colors of Naruto's clothes began to shift. Black and white switched places on his jacket, the green and black of his cargo pants changed to black and white, his boots and shirt remained black, but the flames on the skulls turned ecto-green and the kani on his back changed from "kitsune" to "phantom" and became as green as the ectoplasm of the Ghost Zone. His blond hair became as white as snow and his cerulean blue eyes glowed a bright green.****

**"**I think he looks just fine in this style," Clockwork said, his impatience finally making itself known. "Now can we leave our newest champion his gifts and send these ladies on their way so that the plan may take it's course?"****

The trio nodded and the Naruto lookalike faded in a green mist. The portal to the mortal realm opened once more and the ghosts stepped through, the chance of a new future ahead of them. Would they succeed? Or will all their efforts amount to nothing in the end?


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, yurei king here. How's it goin? This is my first published fanfic so tell me what you think. Meant to put a note on the first chapter but forgot.**

**Anyway, hope you like it. Harem as it stands right now is:**

**Tenten**

**Anko**

**Desiree**

**Ember**

**Disclaimer: Only saying it once. All I own is the ideas I'm writing, the original of anything I write belongs solely to the ones who made it.**

Clockwork's portal opened in an alley in Konoha's market district. The four stepped through and briefly looked around. Once they were sure of the secrecy of their arrival, the master of time turned to his traveling companions to distribute instructions.

"Ember, the mortal I wish for you to stay with is currently working in a store near here. From what I have observed she rebels against the common idea of women being weak and seeks to prove her own power every day. She is very fond of weapons and the instrument you made will serve as a proper incentive to cooperate."

Ember glared and crossed her arms. "So I don't even get to meet the cute blond?"

Erasmus smirked. "You will be meeting him sooner than you think. My brother has only half of the boy's newest gift. I plan to send him your way to receive the second half."

The teen nodded. "So, where is this 'oh so special' girl you believe will be important for changing blondie's future."

"She is in the building right next to us," the green-cloaked spirit said. "You will have to do the introductions as you see fit. My brother and I still have some business to attend to."

The portal reappeared and without another word the trio of ghosts passed through and disappeared. For a few seconds Ember remained in the alley, pondering the best way to act in this situation. Then she realized she would have to see the girl and what was going on before she could really do anything. With that in mind, the embodiment of teenage rebellion turned intangible and phased through the wall.

Once on the other side Ember turned invisible and looked around. She found herself in what appeared to be a supply store for the so-called 'ninjas' of the village. To her right were weapons of every shape and size on display, the her left, an assortment of clothing and armor.

At a register in front of her sat a girl who looked to be around fifteen years old. She was dressed in a pink, Chinese styled blouse with red trim and buttons, green ANBU style pants and blue sandals. Her chocolate brown hair was tied up in two tight buns on the top of her head leaving her equally brown eyes clear of obstruction.

_'First thing to change is gonna be the style,' _Ember thought. Quickly she looked around, finding nobody else in the store she floated down to the floor and made herself visible.

"Hey."

The girl, who had been reading a book at the time, jumped and was instantly holding a kunai in her hands. When she saw that the one who talked didn't have a weapon out she relaxed and returned the weapon to its holster.

"Don't do that. I almost stabbed you."

"You're a bit on the jumpy side ain't you baby-pop," the ghost asked. She placed a hand on her hip as the two girls stared at each other.

"My name's Tenten, and I'm supposed to be jumpy. I'm a kunoichi so I have to be ready to fight at all times."

"Whatever, look I was sent here by somebody important to find you so we can work together for a bit."

"Who sent you?"

"That isn't important right now," Ember said. "What's important is that there is a kid in this village that might grow up to become either the world's hero or the one to plunge it into total chaos and destruction. While I like a little anarchy, total annihilation of the human race isn't my style."

Tenten frowned. If there was some kid why was she here. When she voiced this question the blue-haired teen shrugged. "The guy who sent me said you could be important for his plan to work. He also had me make something as incentive because he knows how much you like your weapons."

The girl's eyes lit up at the possibility of a new 'toy' and she instantly forgot all questions about this 'future'. "What you got?"

Ember smirked and played a few strings on her guitar. In a green flash a second guitar appeared in the air between them. Unlike her's, this guitar was black and red with green strings. The dial she used to change her attacks had the same mind control and sound wave settings, but it also had a setting with blue flames and a green glowing kunai.

"This baby combines sound with a very special material known as ectoplasm to create different types of techniques. If you're interested I'll even teach you a few things, but I have a few things to tell you first."

Tenten nodded and Ember began to explain about her being a spirit and why she had come. She left out Naruto's name, saying only that she would meet him soon. Of course, the girl had been skeptical at first but was quickly convinced when Ember overshadowed her and made her play the guitar while singing her signature song.

By the time she finished, Tenten was chomping at the bit to try the guitar out herself. Ember said it was too late and she wanted to learn a little more about the world she was now to live in. The two spent the last hour of her shift discussing everything the budding weapon's mistress knew about the shinobi world. By the time Tenten closed the shop and headed upstairs to where her apartment was and Ember followed to sleep in the air above her, both had become friends.

_**WITH CLOCKWORK**_

When the trio next stepped out of the portal, it deposited them within a forest filled with massive trees. Echoing through this forest were the roars of predators of considerable size and the cries of said predators' victims. Clockwork looked up to see a figure resting on one of the branches directly above them.

From what he could see the figure had purple hair and was clad in a brown trench coat, a _very_ short skirt and blue sandals. "Desiree," he said, catching the genie-ghost's attention. "That is the woman I need you to accompany. Try to convince her to visit the store where Ember is staying around noon tomorrow. If all goes well then the young phantom will meet the first who will teach him the proper techniques of harnessing the power of his ghost half. We must be gone, there is one last thing my brother and I need to take care of before we return to the Ghost Zone. Good luck."

Desiree nodded as the brothers once more disappeared through the portal. With a sigh she turned invisible and floated up to observe her soon-to-be partner. What she found pleased her greatly. The woman was dressed in such a way that any hot-blooded male be they young or old would have quite a difficult time keeping their gaze focused on her face. On closer inspection she noticed skin-colored undergarments that still preserved at least a portion of the woman's modesty. Once she felt she had observed long enough, she moved to stand on a nearby branch, returned to her visible state and coughed.

The woman lazily opened one eye to look at her visitor and her lips curled in a slight smirk. "Finally decided to say hi?"

Desiree blinked, at a loss for words while the woman began to chuckle. "I'm an experienced member of the villages shinobi forces, the least I should be able to do is know when someone's watching me."

The genie sighed and ran a hand through her raven black hair. "Yes, I was watching to see if I could learn anything about you. Although it didn't work, at least now I know that your guard is never truly relaxed. This is a good thing considering the world you've been living in."

The purple-haired woman raised an eyebrow. "World _I _live in? Don't you mean we?"

Desiree shook her head. "I am not of this world. I have been dead for quite some time now and I was called to help this new generation avoid the destruction that looms just over the horizon."

"What destruction," the woman asked, sitting up to look straight at the ghost. "Who are you?"

"I am Desiree, the ghost who grants your hearts desire and I have been sent by a powerful spirit to aid the mortals of this realm in their time of need."

"Wait, you can grant wishes?"

Desiree nodded. "But take care what you wish for," she warned. "For a wish granted will not always be as you imagined. Some things can have a terrible drawback."

She watched as the woman pondered her words. She had begun to grow anxious and considered speaking when her companion finally spoke. "Anko Mitarashi. Sexiest kunoichi in Konoha and second best interrogator in the T&I Department. Now, do you think you could grant a wish for me?"

Desiree frowned as she considered the question. Erasmus and Clockwork had shown both her and Ember a few things about the ones they would be partnered with. She suspected what Anko's wish would be, and she had an idea on how to use this to her advantage.

"If it is about the seal on your neck, then yes, I know a way to remove it." She held up a hand to stop the kunoichi from shouting her request. "But I myself can not do it, in order for it to be removed something will have to take its place. It has been a part of you for so long that that would be the only way to remove it without killing you. The one I and another were sent here to help will eventually be able to help you, once he has grown strong enough to harness the gifts he has been blessed with."

Anko sighed, so she would have to wait. _'I guess it's better than nothing,'_ she thought and looked up to see Desiree was waiting for an answer. "So, how do I meet this guy?"

Desiree smiled, grateful for at least having a chance to help the woman. What she had said had not been a lie. She had felt how deep the mark was integrated with her body. To remove it would mean her death. The only way to purge the rot was to replace it with something that would heal her over time while helping her to grow even stronger. "He lives in this very village, in fact he is quite well known. I know a place where he will be tomorrow. You can meet him and, should you choose, help him with his training."

Anko nodded then stretched, sleeping on a branch can leave one with quite a stiff back. "Well, since we're gonna be hanging out at least until tomorrow why don't we talk a bit?"

Thus the two passed the evening taking about themselves. Desiree told of how she was denied her hearts desire by a king's jealous wife and Anko told her new friend of her time as a child and the reason for the hatred she bears for her sensei.

By dawn the two had become comfortable with each other. When Anko noticed the sun rising, she offered to show Desiree around the village.

"Wouldn't my presence cause problems," the ghost asked.

"You can turn into that smoke right?" Desiree nodded. "Well why don't you do that and stay in my shuriken pouch? You can turn invisible and leave if something catches your eye and you can help me watch my back in case some nasty pervert tries to cop a feel...again."

Desiree nodded and did as Anko suggested. Once the ghost was securely hidden, the kunoichi jumped through the trees on her way to get her favorite treat. May Kami have mercy on the poor soul who gets in her way.

_**WITH NARUTO**_

Clockwork and Erasmus arrived in Naruto's apartment to find him hovering in a sphere of ectoplasmic energy. His phantom form was currently activated, and a steady stream of the sphere's energy was flowing into his chest. Next to his sphere there floated in a second one. This one contained the body of a fox colored as white as snow with a splash of green on its chest and green outlines around its muzzle and eyes.

"It seems to be working without a hitch," Erasmus said, walking around the spheres.

"Seems?"

"Intentionally creating a phantom has never been done before brother, we can't predict what the outcome could be. The closest was when that Vlad half-ghost created a clone of Daniel. The ectoplasm should finish integrating fairly soon."

"Time is running short," Clockwork said and raised his staff. A barrier of purple ectoplasm engulfed the room. "Thus we shall have to speed things up a bit."

At the ghost's words, the spheres began to shrink at a much faster pace until what would have taken an hour at the least was done in only seconds. Soon the boy and fox were free from the ectoplasm and resting on the floor. A few seconds more and Naruto began to stir.

"Welcome back to the land of the living my boy," Erasmus said, giving the boy a pat on the shoulder. "Now that you've become a phantom, it's time for your next gift."

Clockwork stepped forward and held offered the silver band he had received from Skulker and the Fentons. "Naruto, this is a device created by the Ghost Zone's greatest technological minds. They told me that in order for it to work, you have to place it around the wrist of the arm you wish to have it on. Once you do it will become keyed to your energy signature and yours alone."

Naruto took the offered band and ran his fingers over it. It looked like a simple silver bracelet with a small green gem. "Are you sure they were serious?"

Clockwork nodded. The white-haired phantom sighed, the two ghosts haven't lied to him yet, might as well trust them once again. As soon as the bracelet was around his left wrist, sparks of blue electricity exploded from the gem and wrapped his arm in a of sparks. Grunting in pain, Naruto fell to one knee as he tried to see through the bright light of the ecto-lightning. What he saw both shocked and impressed him.

Interlocking rings of white metal resembling chain mail began to spread from the bracelet and up his arm while a black glove with a white metal plate covered his hand. When the rings met his shoulder the metal began to form a pauldron of black with a skull wreathed in emerald green flames. A black leather strap reached diagonally across his chest, under his right armpit and back, firmly securing the armor to his body.

"Why does it have to shock," he muttered as he returned to his feet. "So what's this thing do?"

Clockwork opened his mouth to speak, only to stop when a loud beeping sound was heard. The metal plate on the back of Naruto's new glove lit up and a hologram of Skulker and Technus appeared. "If you are hearing this, then you must be the boy Clockwork told us about. The one who's fate is split between destroyer and savior. He petitioned me and my associate here to forge the device you are now wearing.

"This armor is a very special piece of work. Not only does it function as a protective piece of equipment, I have installed a device that creates a pocket dimension. Lord Clockwork told me of your chosen occupation as a shinobi. He explained that your kind rely on weapons. The pocket dimension can hold an almost endless supply of what you call shuriken and kunai. There is also a setting to seal away special weapons. Simply press the index finger of your opposite hand against the metal plate and the normal space will be opened. To access the special space, simply put a little of your blood on the tip of your finger and use a pulse of ectoplasm."

The holo-duo were quite for a second and then spoke once more. "Clockwork believes you can be saved from the path of destruction, I'm putting my bet in with him. Don't let us down kid."

"Wait," Technus said. "Skulker, you forgot to tell the about about the melee applications."

"Oh right," Skulker chuckled sheepishly. "The armor also has a couple of built in tricks for if your enemies manage to get too close. By focusing your ectoplasm into the gem, you create an electrical current. The strength of the current depends on how much you use. There's also a blade just under the wrist that will pop out when you focus ectoplasm to that part of the armor."

The Ghost Zone's self-proclaimed greatest hunter waved as the hologram flickered. "Stop by my island in the Zone if you want some upgrades for the armor. Take care kid, all our bets are on you."

The hologram flickered and disappeared, leaving Naruto stunned and the ghost siblings thoughtful.

"It is an impressive piece of work," Erasmus said to his brother. "They must really believe in the boy."

Clockwork nodded and placed a hand on the young phantom's shoulder. "Naruto, I realize you most likely want to practice with that gauntlet, but right now we must wake the Kyuubi and teach you the basics of your ghost powers."

Naruto sighed and moved to place a hand on the fox's head. He began to scratch behind one of his ears, causing the fox to stir. "Come on you furball, it's time to start training." The white fox growled and opened his eyes to reveal the ever-familiar crimson gaze of the demon known and feared throughout the Elemental Countries.

"**Go to hell," **he said and turned over.

Naruto growled before a sudden idea struck him. His lips curled in a mischievous grin as he made his way to the kitchen. There he grabbed a pot and filled it with cold water. As stealthily as could, the white-haired phantom tip-toed back to the fox, dumped the water and bolted for the open window, cackling like a madman with a white missile hot on his heels.

"**You're DEAD you overgrown monkey! You better pray to Kami I don't catch you cuz if I do no one will find your body!"**

Naruto fled over the rooftops of the village toward the training grounds. His maniacal laugh echoed through the streets, sending shivers down the few who were conscious at such a early hour. They knew who was laughing, and they offered a prayer for the poor soul he had pranked. It was a mystery to no one in Konoha just how sadistic some of the boy's pranks had been.

When Clockwork and Erasmus finally caught up, they found the duo wrestling in an empty clearing in the forest, cursing whenever a good blow was successfully dealt. Erasmus smirked as he stepped forward and slammed his fists into each combatants' head. Boy and fox yelped in pain while rubbing the bumps from the blow.

"Quit your squalling and be quiet. Now we have a lot of work to do before we get the supplies you'll need so sit down, shut up and pay attention. Now, all ghosts have the basic abilities of invisibility, intangibility and flight. We will be spending today on those three. After that you will be on your own. You will undoubtedly gain new unique abilities but we can not interfere much more than we already have. Do you understand?"

Naruto and Kyuubi nodded and the green-cloaked ghost smirked while cracking his knuckles. "Very well, the first skill is intangibility."

"How do we train with that?"

"Simple," Erasmus leaped forward and his fist firmly somewhere between Naruto's spleen and colon. "You have to be able to avoid my punches by making me pass through you. Every time you dodge I'll come faster and hit harder."

Naruto heaved as he sunk to his knees. He could barely pull any air into his lungs it hurt so bad. He was about to try and ask the ghost why they were doing this when he spoke again. "You need to learn to do this in an instant. Your enemies will not give you time to think. It must become a reflexive action. Once you've learned to do this then you will start learning to turn invisible."

Erasmus swung again and Naruto dodged. "Bad move," he whispered and the ghost's left arm became buried in his stomach.

From the sidelines Clockwork and the Kyuubi watched, one with a stoic expression, the other one laughing his butt off. As Naruto was sent skipping across the ground all the master of time thought was,_ 'This is going to be a long morning.'_

_**CHAPTER 2 END**_

_**So, tell me what you think. Next time is the big meet and greet of the ghost group. See you all soon,**_

_**Till then,**_

_**yurei king signing out!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Greetings to all, what's up?**

**Alright, here's chapter 3 of the Half-Ghost Kitsune, in this we have introductions, training, team placements, training and...more training.**

**Just kiddin, anyway, the young Phantom will meet the four chosen to help him and get his weapons.**

**To the mysterious guest, whoever you are...NO Sakura will not be a fangirl. She will at first but her and Ino both are gonna get some sense knocked into them. Also, to those who may ask later I shall stress on the fact that Sakura and Hinata will not be in the harem. I've seen way too many of those. Ino is a maybe, depends on the suggestions I receive from my readers.**

**Hope you all enjoy now...ON WITH THE CHAPTER!**

_**CHAPTER 3...BEGIN!**_

In the streets of Konoha the villagers civilian and shinobi alike went about their daily lives without a care in the world. None felt the need to look up at the sky save for a couple to glance at the faces of the ones who had given up their lives and now are immortalized in the stone of a mountain. Even those few never noticed the boy hovering above the village, invisible to all.

Naruto felt his lips curl in a slight smile. He had always admired the village from atop the Hokage Monument, but it was not even close to what it felt like to fly above it. Thanks to the cram session in ghost basics with Erasmus, the boy could now easily fly, turn intangible and invisible. When they finished, the brothers told him to go to the market district and buy two weapons. One weapon he will learn to wield while in human form and the other in Phantom form. Down below he could see the white blur that he knew was his new companion darting of the rooftops, getting used to his new body.

They reached the district in a matter of minutes. Naruto landed next to the fox and scratched him behind the ears. "How you holdin' up?"

"**It's taking a little more effort than I thought," **the Kyuubi said between pants. **"I just need to practice a little more and I'll be able to run as fast as you can fly."**

"Good," Naruto said and turned to stare at the streets below. "Now where is that shop Clockwork told me about?"

"**I think he said it was called Twin Dragons or something like that."**

Naruto looked around until his eyes rested upon a sign hanging from a red brick building a little ways off to his left. The sign was marked with two dragons, one as black as obsidian and the other white as ivory entwined with the words Twin Dragon Shinobi Supply in red with a dark green background. "Found it," he said. With a simple thought his body floated into the air and faded from sight. He quickly flew until he was in an alley right next to the building where he landed and let his invisibility drop.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to follow his teacher's instructions. _'Focus Naruto. You have been human for much longer than you have been a Phantom. Remember the feeling of being a __human, bring it to the front of your mind and hold it there. Once you've done that instinct will guide you.'_

If any passerby had taken the time to look into the alley, they would have seen a a glowing ring of pale blue energy appear around the waist of a white haired boy. The ring split in two, one heading toward his feet, the other his head. Where the rings passed, his clothes switched from white to black (and vice versa), pale skin changed to tan, and snow white hair changed to sun-kissed blond. In only seconds the ghost became replaced by Naruto Uzumaki, King of Pranks and newest in the line of Phantoms.

"I'm getting the change down pretty good," he said and started to walk toward the front door of the shop. "Stay invisible for now," he mumbled to the fox as he neared the alley's entrance. He heard a growl somewhere off to his left but ignored it and kept walking until he was in plain sight and standing in front of the door. With a quick look around to see if anyone was watching, the blond opened the door and walked in.

The very first thing he saw was a girl around his age sitting on top of a counter with a guitar in her hands, strumming a few notes. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail and her brown eyes were narrowed in concentration as she tended to the instrument. She was wearing a black muscle shirt that did very little to hide her chest, only the bandages she had wrapped around them kept her modesty somewhat protected, dark gray cargo pants and blue sandals. Her headband with the Konoha leaf and spiral symbol was wrapped around her forehead and on her hands she wore black fingerless gloves with a metal plate on the back.

She looked up when the door opened and smiled. "Welcome to the Twin Dragon, I'm Tenten Higurashi, how can I help you?"

Naruto blinked. "Do I know you," he asked. The girl looked familiar but it was that name, it struck a chord with him but for the life of him he couldn't remember why.

Tenten tilted her head as she stared at the customer. Hair that bright was memorable and there was only one person she could remember ever having it. "Naruto, is that you?"

"Yeah, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, have we met somewhere?"

The girl set the guitar on the counter and hopped down. "You don't remember me? We were in the same class in the Academy. You had a special nickname I threatened to use you for target practice almost every time you said it."

Naruto's eyes widened as the image of a young girl in a Chinese style shirt flashed through his mind. "P-Panda-chan," he whispered.

Tenten scowled and drew a kunai. "Didn't I say I'd use you for practice, Naru-kun," she said in an overly sweet voice. Naruto's face became almost as pale as his ghost form's hair and he began to slowly back away. Unknown to the two reunited friends, Ember and Kyuubi were watching form separate ends of the store, smirking at the boy's predicament.

"Tenten-chan," Naruto said, sweating bullets as he inched backward. "W-we're friends aren't we? S-shouldn't friends take c-care of each other instead of trying to k-kill them?"

Tenten just smirked and rushed forward. Naruto shut his eyes and braced for the impact, only to feel her wrap her arms around him and pull him into a hug. "You baka, I was just messing with you," Tenten said, laughing at the gobsmacked look and the blond's face.

Ember chuckled. Now she was really glad she had managed to talk the girl into trying something different in style. Tenten had been as stubborn as a mule at first, but when Ember said it would serve as a distraction for her opponents and give her a slight edge over them she had been willing to compromise. The terms were simple, she would wear the clothes until after her next mission. If they helped, she would stick with it, if they didn't she went back to her usual.

_'We still need to do a little more with her hair,' _she thought. _'Maybe add a leather vest or something.' _The ghost incarnation of rebellion became lost in thought, picturing all sorts of different styles for her new friend and even a few ideas for Naruto. It took several calls of her name to even realize Tenten wanted to introduce her to the blond knucklehead.

"Ember! Come on, I know you're here," the brunet called. The blue haired teen sighed and allowed herself to become visible. She chuckled when Naruto jumped, eyes as wide as saucers. "What's wrong, baby-pop, is the big boy scared?"

Naruto just blinked before laughing. "Nah, I just figured Clockwork was only leaving one ghost behind but since it's show and tell...HEY FURBALL, I KNOW YOU FOLLOWED ME! GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE!"

Kyuubi instantly materialized and slammed his head into his partner's stomach. **"I have a name dumbass," he yelled. "Kurama! Say it with me now...KU. RA. MA. Is that so h—" **A black, white and yellow blur slammed into the fox and sent them tumbling across the floor.

"It got your attention didn't it," they heard Naruto yell. "And why did it take you this long just to tell me your name?" Kurama wrapped his tail around the blond and threw him. A grunt escaped him as his back slammed into the counter where Tenten had been sitting just moments before. _'I'm gonna feel that later.'_

"**I just didn't feel like saying it, demons do what they want you blond monkey!"**

Naruto was about to spring back into battle, only for slender fingers to firmly latch onto his ear and pull. "OW! OW! OW! NAILS WOMAN!"

"That's enough," Tenten hissed. Both males froze at the sound, a sound that spoke to their primitive instincts. It told their instincts to run and curl up under the a rock because hellfire is about to rain down. "What do you think would happen if you two destroy the shop? I'll tell you what! First I'd beat you both until you're on the brink of death and _then_ I'd make you clean it up and pay for the damages and replace whatever merchandise was broken!"

Naruto and Kurama were both huddled against each other, shivering in terror at the monster confronting them. This was a beast that was known to hunt boyfriends, husbands and perverts to the ends of the earth and back, the angry woman. They began to stutter apologies, only to freeze when the door to the store opened and in stepped a purple-haired woman wearing a tan trench coat and orange miniskirt.

"Welcome to the Twin Dragons," Tenten's mood pulled a complete 180 from evil she-devil to bubbly shop keeper. _'I think I almost wet myself.' _**'**_**Just don't look at her kit, she might eat your soul!'**_

The woman smirked as she saw the two cowering members of the male species. "You get a boyfriend or something Tenten-chan?"

"Anko-san," Tenten wined. "We've gone over this, just because you like submissive guys doesn't mean I do!"

Anko just laughed. "Whatever, I'm here for my usual order."

"Didn't you just come in a week or two ago? That order usually lasts you a _month!"_

The woman just shrugged. "I just got back from a mission that took a little more effort than I planned. I'm out and need some new supplies, can you hook me up?"

Tenten just sighed and reached behind the counter to pull out a scroll. "Here," she said, tossing it to her friend. "We usually have pre-made scrolls for the regulars so this should have everything you need."

Anko unrolled the scroll, quickly glanced over every space where an item was sealed, nodded in satisfaction and rolled it back up. "Thanks Ten-chan, I like the clothes by the way. It's nice to see someone other than me showing just how hot she is." Tenten opened her mouth to protest but Anko cut her off. "Don't even start, the gaki you were just messing around with hasn't been able to quit staring at either of us since we started talking."

The weapon's mistress in training turned to glare at her childhood friend, who seemed to be intensely studying a scythe on the wall next to him. This particular weapon had a shaft of hickory painted black and a blade of steel with silver inlays that caught the light, giving the illusion of a soft glow. Naruto felt like this weapon was almost calling to him and for a brief moment he saw an image of his ghost-half, draped in a black hooded cloak that flapped in the wind and holding the blade. The hood was drawn over his head, only a few trails of his white hair could be seen and his eyes were two pools of poisonous green that glowed from the darkness cast by the cloak.

The image was as gone as quickly as it appeared but the impression remained. He had to have that scythe. With the eagerness of a small boy on Christmas the blond reached out and grabbed the scythe while the others looked on in curiosity. "Ten-chan, do you have any scrolls I can use to learn to use this?"

The brunette blinked in surprise, only for her eyes to narrow in suspicion. "Before I even _think_ of selling you that or any weapon other than standard gear then you'd better be serious about training with it. If you plan on just wearing it to be intimidating then you can just forget it!"

"I'm always serious when it comes to training Tenten," Naruto said, dropping the honorific. This wasn't a time to flirt or be friendly. "You used to tell me that you had to understand a weapon, make it an extension of your body in order to truly use it properly. Now, do you have any scrolls or should I just try the library?"

Silence reigned in the store as all the females in the room stared at Naruto. His head was slightly bowed, causing his wild hair to fall low and cast a shadow over his eyes. Together with a white fox that stood next to him, the two cast a slightly intimidating sight. Finally, Tenten found her voice and said the store did have scrolls for the scythe that he could purchase.

"For every specialty weapon here we gather scrolls with techniques ranging from beginner all the way up to master level," Tenten explained as she headed toward a doorway behind the counter. They heard her rummaging around in the back for a few minutes before she came back out with three scrolls, each marked with the kanji for 'scythe' and the numbers one through three. "These are the scrolls for beginner and intermediate levels. The last two you can buy when you prove you've mastered these."

Naruto nodded, but then frowned as a thought struck him. He had been told by Clockwork and Erasmus to choose a weapon for each of his forms. The scythe worked good for the phantom side, but what would be good for his human side. A sword could be useful, but there are too many who use one, and also those with experience fighting against said people. He needed something people wouldn't expect.

He asked Tenten to wait and he began to search the displays, Kurama at his side, his eyes seeking the weapon meant for him. He found it when his gaze settled on a brown bo staff in a stand next to a sword display. It was made of smooth oak, the only break in the smooth wood was an intricate design in the center of the staff.

"You've got a good eye Naruto-kun," Tenten said, she had seem him freeze and snuck up behind him to see what had caught his attention. "You also seem attracted to the expensive stuff. That scythe alone is worth a decent amount and this plus the scrolls for it would be pretty pricey."

"Why are they so expensive," Naruto asked, his eyes never leaving the staff.

"Well the scythe is because it's a novelty weapon, not many shinobi use them, they prefer the kusarigama because of its light weight and maneuverability. This particular bo staff is special because of the seals that have carved into it."

"Seals?"

"Yeah, that design on the handle is a very complex seal. My father bought the weapon during his travels and put it on display here, many have looked at it but weren't willing to pay the price. There are the customary seals for strength and self-repair through the chakra of the wielder. But what's really special are the two extra seals on it.

The first seal is a vitality seal. It draws a small bit of the natural chakra from the air, or a wielder whenever it finally finds one, and it keeps the wood alive. That staff is actually as living as the trees in the forest around our village.

Now comes the really special part. Because it's actually alive, the staff can actually grow thanks to a seal matrix. If the user has enough chakra, they can make the pole extend. The more chakra, the longer and faster it grows."

Naruto's jaw was practically dislocated such was his awe at hearing such a thing about a weapon. "Both," he whispered.

"What?"

"I'll take both, and some scrolls to learn to use them."

"And what makes you think I'll sell two specialty weapons to one guy?" Tenten put her hands on her hips as she glared at her childhood friend. "You'll have enough trouble learning to master just one of these, training with both will be nearly impossible."

"Then teach me," Naruto barked back.

This threw the girl for a loop. She couldn't remember the last time Naruto had _ever_ asked for help. To do so now meant he was absolutely serious about using the weapons for real. She was impressed, but she had to make sure.

"If I do then what will I get out of it?"

"Target practice," Naruto stated simply.

"What?"

In answer, the blond created a shadow clone and then punched it in the face, forcing it to dispel. "Each clone I make is completely solid and dispel after a single hit. I can make a lot of them, I'm pretty much a one man army so you'll have quite a large amount of moving targets."

Tenten thought it over, but before she could answer Anko cut into the conversation. "You said you can make an army of those at once?" Naruto nodded and was suddenly frightened when he saw her lips curl into a sadistic smirk. "I'll help. I could always use a little extra target practice. Plus I can give you some tips on sneaking around and poisons. I work in the T&I Department so I'm pretty knowledgeable on things that can make your victims scream. What do you say?"

Naruto could only stare at the woman. What kind of woman would say things like that? Kurama laughed as both his former host and the brown haired girl could only stare at the slightly older woman. **"I like this one kit," **he said. **"But why do you smell like two people are standing there instead of just you?"**

Anko looked at the fox and cocked an eyebrow but saw Ember's expression change to one of realization. "Desiree, get out here already," the teen ghost said. In response, pink smoke erupted from the woman's shuriken pouch and wrapped around Naruto. The smoke slowly condensed until it took the form of a human woman. Details became easier to make out. Soon Naruto felt weight pressing down on him and in the blink of an eye, wisps of smoke became the solid body of a woman with long, black hair that hid her left eye from view, leaving the right one, colored bright red, visible. Her clothes were that of a belly dancer and the smile on her face was both flirtatious and mischievous at the same time.

"Hello Ember," she said, voice husky, her warm breath hitting Naruto's ear and causing a shiver to run down his spine. "How are you today?"

"Don't waste my time dream queen," the rocker snarled. "So Clockwork has you hanging out with a psycho, well you were always a bit of a nutcase if you ask me."

"Well nobody did ask you so your opinion matters very little now doesn't it?"

The two looked ready to start tearing into each other, only for Kurama's tail to wrap around Desiree's waist and yank her back and for Naruto, now in his ghost form wrap his arms around Ember, locking her arms at her sides. Both girl's struggled but to no avail.

"If I let you go, will you cause a scene," Naruto asked. The girls just huffed and looked away, making the blond sigh in frustration. _'Seriously, Clockwork let these two live in the human world? What was he thinking?'_

That was when a deep voice rang through the air. **"Time...Out."** As the words sounded all things froze as time itself drew to a halt. In the midst of the frozen world two figures appeared. It was the brothers, Erasmus, Lord of Space, all matter was his to shift as he saw fit. The other, his twin Clockwork, Lord of Time, past, present and future were his to bend and twist as he deemed necessary. Erasmus looked at the amulet around his neck, emblazoned with the symbol Clockwork had created for himself.

"Quite a handy thing these amulets," he said. Clockwork nodded and drew a second and third amulet from his cloak. In seconds the amulets were around the necks of the two kunoichi, they flashed with a small burst of blue light and then blinked as if only just waking up.

"Children, welcome to the outside of Time. I am Clockwork and this is my brother Erasmus, we need to talk."

Both kunoichi became nervous when they heard him introduce himself. Ember and Desiree had told them about the masters of Time and Space. The stories had left them somewhat wary of ever meeting such powerful entities.

"Don not be frightened, I know the two I sent told you about me so you must know that I don't usually interfere with the flow of time directly like this but I need your help."

Clockwork explained all that had happened in the past two days. The true circumstances behind Naruto's graduation (he left out the part of Kurama being the Kyuubi and that part of it was still sealed inside Naruto) and the Observers coming to find him to request his help once again. Finally, he showed them Naruto's still pending future, but the vision had changed. Instead of the normal destroyer, a now Phantomized Naruto was laying waste in the streets of a village. He tore through any defenders with ease and buildings crumbled under his onslaught of pure chaos.

"His future has changed," Erasmus said. "However, there is a trigger we can not find that still turns him against humanity. My brother and I have already meddled too much, we must step back and let time unfold unaltered for a while, allow events to unfold as destiny sees fit. What we ask is that you help the boy, aid him in retaining his faith in others. Will you help us?"

Both girls were quite as they contemplated his request. This was something they had not prepared for in training. The fate of the future lay in their hands and they didn't like it one bit. Tenten remembered Naruto from the academy, the fun-loving prankster who couldn't go ten seconds without grinning big enough to nearly split his face in half. Anko only knew of him by reputation. She had done a brief tour of duty as a member of the ANBU black ops and the one thing she always heard about was the prankster from hell that was known as Naruto Uzumaki.

Suddenly, a look of hardened determination took form in Tenten's eyes. "I'll help," she said. "Naruto is my friend. I won't let something like that happen to him."

All eyes turned to Anko, who sighed. "I don't know the gaki personally," she started. "But I won't stand by and let another person descend into that kind of evil ever again. You can count on my help as well."

The brothers nodded and were about to leave when Erasmus stopped and turned to address the young weapons mistress. "When you return to the proper flow of time, you will find a scroll in your pocket. That scroll will contain more than enough to compensate for the two weapons and whatever clothes the boy should choose." The girl nodded in understanding and the brothers disappeared through the portal once more. The amulets disappeared from around their necks and both were unceremoniously dumped back into the chaos of Naruto trying to keep the two ghosts from killing each other.

**Clocktower—**

"Clockwork, why didn't you show the girls the rest of the vision," Erasmus asked his brother.

For a time the ancient spirit didn't answer the question, he only gazed at the portal and the scene from the future. Only now next to Naruto stood Tenten, Anko, Ember and Desiree. All had looks of supreme ecstasy as they destroyed the village the three humans had once called home.

"No one should know too much of their own future," he finally said. "By warning them of the trigger that will come in the near future we have started a split in fate."

With a heavy sigh he let the portal dissipate and turned to the only other entity he had ever considered his equal in power and wisdom. He placed his hand on Erasmus' shoulder. "We have done all that we can for now brother. We must let fate weave as she pleases for a time until it is safe for us to intervene once more."

With that the two ancients parted ways to wait until they were needed once more.

**Alright, another chapter done. Now, in I've received plenty of reviews concerning my story The Four Ride Again asking why I made Naruto War's successor instead of Death's due to Death being the older and 'more powerful'. The next chapter I post will answer that question.**

**Now, please read and review so I know what you all think. Till then...see yah soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Greetings!**

**Sorry for taking so long, work's been driving me up the wall and I'm battling writer's block as well. As always, I owe much of my success to Kamen Rider Arashi and his wonderful advice (seriously the person to talk to for ideas, freaking GENIUS!) and the many of you who actually read what I'm putting here.**

**Anyway, enough blabbering, ON TO THE CHAPTER!**

In the classroom they had spent the last year of their time in academy, members of the recently graduated class sat talking cheerfully as they tried to guess who would be teamed up with whom. In the midst of the rabble, two students were simply sitting in their seats, waiting for their teacher to come in assign the teams.

The first was a boy with raven black hair styled in such a way that it reminded many of the rear end of a particularly tasty breed of water fowl. He wore a high collared, short sleeve blue shirt with a red and white fan on the back, white shorts and white arm warmers. Around his forehead he wore the headband with the symbol of Konohagakure, signifying him as a shinobi of the village. His onyx colored eyes glared at the wall before him as he ignored the constant stares and squeals of his fangirls. He was Sasuke Uchiha, the last loyal member of his clan spared by his elder brother, slayer of the Uchiha Clan in the time span of only a few hours.

The second was a boy with his chair tilted back and his feet propped up on the table. He was dressed in a black, jonin styled vest with a flame wreathed in azure flames emblazoned on the back over a gray shirt, camouflage cargo pants secured by a black belt and black combat boots. On his right hand he wore a fingerless glove with a metal plate on the back and around his left wrist was a black bracelet with a blue gem in the center. Leaning against the desk to his right was a bo staff and curled up next to his chair was a large fox with bright orange fur with a splash of white on his chest and at the very tip of his bushy tail. His headband had been tied around his forehead as well, keeping the wild tangle of blond hair out of his eyes.

All knew the blond as the dead last, Naruto Uzumaki. But not many knew the true circumstances behind his graduation and none, save for the few he would consider anything close to being friends, really cared. One such friend happened to be walking up the aisle and stopped to stare at the blonde-haired genin. "Naruto," he said, gaining the boy's attention. "What are you doing here? You do know this is where the one's who graduated are supposed to be right?"

"Hey Shikamaru," Naruto said, letting his chair fall and standing. He jabbed a thumb at his forehead with a small grin. "I managed to pass after all so I'm a fully qualified shinobi. What you have to say about that?"

"Troublesome," the Nara said. "I can just imagine the kind of headaches you'll be giving the village's enemies once they let you get out there."

"You have no idea."

Shikamaru sighed, but his lips curved up in a smile and he clapped the blond on the shoulder. "You may be troublesome, but you're definitely one of the few I'd want with me in a fight."

Naruto smiled and placed his own hand on the brunette's shoulder. "The same for me bud, now you better hurry, Choji's probably wondering what's taking you so long."

Shikamaru chuckled and continued on to his seat. Naruto had just sat back down, when everyone became aware of a loud rumbling. The whole classroom began to shake as the noise grew closer with each passing second.

The fox at Naruto's feet opened one eye for a brief moment and then returned to ignoring the world. Said blond just sighed and covered his ears. The next few minutes was filled with the horrible screams of the Sasuke Fangirl Club's two highest ranking members, Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka. After the banshee and her blonde companion finally stopped arguing, they turned toward the row Naruto was sitting in and he sighed. He knew what was coming.

"Naruto you idiot," Sakura screamed. "Get out of my way I want to sit next to Sasuke-kun."

Naruto just looked at her and sighed again. "You do know there's another seat open on the other side of the row right?"

Of course, this did not go over well with the young girl. With a cry of outrage she balled a fist and drove it down toward the boy's head. However, instead of the sound of knuckles on skin, it was the sound of wood breaking and a horrified shriek from Sakura. Her fist had passed right through the blond and into the chair!

_**'Show off,' **_Kurama said through their mental link.

_'And? It was funny.'_

The fox just grunted while Naruto looked at the pinkette. "I would appreciate it if you would stop hitting me from now on Sakura," he said, Kurama taking a moment to glare at her and growl before returning to his nap.

Sakura just shivered at how it felt to pass through her classmate before walking around and sitting in the seat on the other side of Sasuke. Ino ended up sitting next to Shikamaru, her childhood friend just as Iruka came walking through the door. He then proceeded to give a long winded speech which Naruto ignored and began listing off the names of the students being put together on teams.

**Timeskip: (****everything is the same up to where they're waiting for Kakashi to show up)**

"WHERE IS HE?"

Naruto sighed as he watched his pink-haired teammate pacing back and forth across the room. Apparently life like to screw with him, giving him the worst teammates imaginable. Now normally he would have been ecstatic to learn he was on the same team as the girl, however, a week training with two _serious _kunoichi had cured him of his schoolboy crush. Then there's the brooding self-proclaimed avenger, Sasuke Uchiha. _'Like we'll ever be a team.'_

_**'Maybe you can get that hot jonin to take you as an apprentice,' **_Kurama suggested.

_'Demon Spawn and Snake's Whore. What a team we would make.'_ The fox looked to his partner, tension obvious in his expression. Another effect of the training on the half-ghost had been that he'd stopped pretending to be a happy goofball. He didn't brood on vengeance and destruction, he had just become slightly cynical when it came to certain matters like the villagers and such.

Kurama looked at the boy to whom his soul was bound. In truth, the fox believed the village deserved the future Clockwork had told him about. He also knew it would shatter the boy he had come to respect and leave an empty shell of hate and destruction behind. He tried to think of something encouraging to say, only to stop when his ears detected the soft sound of footsteps in the hallway. _**'It's time kit.'**_

_'Finally!'_

With a smirk, Naruto stood up and made his way to the door, catching the attention of his two teammates. "Where are you going baka?" Sakura screamed.

"Just greeting our sensei," he answered, just as a hand grabbed the door and slid it open. In the doorway stood a tall man with silver, gravity-defying hair. His clothing consisted of the standard jonin attire with the addition of a blue mask that covered the lower half of his face. His shinobi head band was tilted to cover his left eye, leaving his right eye as the only visible part of his face.

"Hey, you must be our sensei," Naruto said. "But why are you late?"

"I'm sorry," the jonin said, giving them what they could only guess was a smile. "I was on my way here but a black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way here to avoid any bad luck."

Sakura was about to scream at their sensei, but Kurama's tail suddenly became entangled with her legs and her large forehead became well acquainted with the wooden floor. Naruto, on the other hand kept his attention on the jonin. "Yeah, I've seen him walking around. I started using the rooftops to get around, less chances of seein' him."

The jonin looked thoughtful at the suggestion. "Yes, that actually makes sense. Thanks for the advice."

"No problem...so, what now?"

"Well, now you all will meet me on the roof and we can do introductions there." His piece said, the silver-haired shinobi vanished in a shunshin, leaving the genin to set their own pace.

"Nice guy," Naruto said and started to walk to the staircase that lead up to the roof.

"Hey dobe," he stopped and turned to see Sasuke looking at him. "How did you know he was here?" Naruto pointed at Kurama and turned to leave once more. "You should probably wake the banshee up," he called over his shoulder before turning around the doorway and into the hallway.

_**'Timeskip:**_

"Now then, why don't you introduce ourselves? Just tell me your names, likes, dislikes and hobbies."

"Um, sensei," Sakura said. "Could you go first and show us what you want?" It took all of Naruto's willpower not to facefault. _'He just said what he wanted!'_

The jonin, however, kept a straight face and answered her question. "I suppose so. Let's see, my name is Kakashi Hatake. My likes...you're too young to know. My dislikes...hmmmm. I have lots of hobbies. All right, now how about you go," he pointed at Naruto, ignoring the deadpan expression coming from his team.

Naruto chuckled and began his own introduction. "The name is Naruto Uzumaki, you've heard of me one way or another I'll bet. Anyway, my likes include training with my new weapons, eating ramen and hanging out with Kurama. I don't like a lot of things but my biggest dislike is when people refuse to see the truth and accept a pathetic lie just to make themselves feel justified in their actions. My hobbies are training and pranking the hell out of anyone who thinks they can walk all over me and get away with it."

Kakashi nodded. _'He's finally fighting back,' _he thought. _'Kami be with the poor bastard that wins his true hatred.' _

"Thank you Naruto, now how about you Pinky? You think you know how to do it?"

Sakura glared at her sensei but held it in a just sighed. "My name is Sakura Haruno. Things I like, or I should say the person I like is," she looked at her duck-haired teammate and blushed while giggling. "My hobby is to..." again another round of giggles. "My dream is to" here she squealed, oblivious to the severely freaked out expression of her blonde-haired teammate while the object of her obsession had suddenly grown very still as he heard her speak.

"And things you hate?" Kakashi prompted.

"Naruto and Ino," she said simply. Said blond glared at her for a moment, before his eyes suddenly widened then narrowed as his lips curled into a sadistic smirk. The jonin shuddered, he knew that look very well. Whenever one of the ANBU watching him saw his smirk at a random civilian, they could only pray for the poor bastard's soul because they were in for one hell of a treat. It didn't help that the boy learned to evade capture and set more intricate traps due to what little time he spent in the Academy. In his last year, the entire area around one of his pranks had been quarantined and several of the Hokage's best tactical minds were brought in to examine the intricate web of chaos the blond had woven, often times in plain sight.

Several of the traps were documented and were applied in real-life exercises. Kakashi had still been in ANBU the beginning of Naruto's last year and had been surprised when the newest list for all officers to acquire skills in possessed a list of traps named after the knucklehead. _'Come to think of it, I actually found the __**Uzumaki Domino Trap**__ to be quite useful when I had that squad of Iwa ANBU after me.'_

Before he could dwell on the past any longer, he reminded himself that he needed to finish up for the day. Thus, he turned his attention to the last of the group. "Ok, the one trying to glare a hole me, can you do that or do you need another example?"

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I like pretty much nothing and I hate pretty much everything. My hobby is training. Dream, don't have one. My _ambition_ is to kill a certain man and revive the Uchiha clan."

Kakashi stared blankly at the Uchiha. "Well aren't you a barrel of sunshine," he said, causing a certain blond to roar with laughter. "Anyway, that's pretty much all I had planned for today. Tomorrows we will meet at...0500 at Training Ground 7 for a special survival training session. Any questions?"

"Um, sensei," Sakura said, raising her hand like she was in class.

"What?"

"We did those in the Academy, why would we still do them now?"

Kakashi gave his signature eye-smile. "Ah, but this is a very special kind of training. You see, the results of this exercise will determine whether or not we will remain a team." He raised a hand to stem the questions his genin were no doubt had been about to hurl at him by the handful. "Before you start shouting let me clarify one thing. The test you took in the Academy was just to see if you possessed the skills to be considered a shinobi of Konoha. This exercise I have planned will test whether or not you have the proper potential to serve this village as a member of its military. Should you fail you will be sent back to wait another year to try again. Now, I have some things to take care of so I must bid you goodbye."

With that he stood and turned to leave, only to pause as if struck by a sudden thought. "Oh, by the way you might want to consider skipping breakfast tomorrow. You'll probably just puke it all up anyway." With that, Kakashi waved cheerily and vanished in a cloud of smoke. The three genin were left to ponder his words until Naruto shrugged and rose to his feet.

"I think I'm gonna like being his student," he said, stretching as he worked out the kinks from sitting for so long. "Hey, you guys wanna grab something to eat, my treat?"

Sasuke just grunted and walked away, Sakura following right behind him. Naruto sighed but instantly perked up as he turned to his companion. "Hey Kurama, wanna go prank some people? Or do you think we should get back to training?"

The fox rose from his nap and joined the boy in standing. **"Well, that one store owner from yesterday is due for a little poetic justice. How about we take care of him real fast and then get back from training?"**

Naruto grinned. "Why wait for training? Let's prank him Phantom style!" Naruto grinned as a glowing circle of bright blue energy appeared around his waist. The circle hovered for a moment before splitting cleanly into two separate circles, one going up to the sky and the other to the ground. Where they passed, Naruto began to change.

His normal attire was replaced by a long-sleeved pitch black shirt that hugged his torso and arms, outlining his muscles, pure black pants that were just loose enough not to be called figure hugging secured by a white belt. His black boots were replaced by ones of the brightest white as were his gloves. The final change was when the blue ring passed his head. Golden hair became white as fresh snow and the cloth of his headband turned black as coal. He opened his eyes to reveal the original

"**Not bad kit," **Kurama commented, also in his ghost form. **"Those girls really gave your other side a makeover. It's definitely attention grabbing."**

"There's still one piece missing though," Naruto said, clenching his left hand into a fist. The black bracelet had turned white during the transformation (the gem a bright green) and as the now white-haired teen focused, a light green aura began to gather around it. Moments later, sparks erupted from the bracelet and it began to change. Armored links began to appear, interlocking and weaving their way up to his shoulder until a pure white sleeve of chain mail and armor covered his left arm. "Now it's complete."

"**Admire yourself later," **Kurama grumbled. **"We've got a mission to finish."**

Naruto grinned and turned invisible. "Sniff him out." The fox nodded and took off. They didn't take very long finding him, and when they did, it was time for some good old fashioned payback. The boy turned intangible and entered the man's body. It took him a second to get used to the feel, but once he did, he closed the shop and ran to the hot springs.

Quietly and carefully, the overshadowed shopkeeper inched his way to the dividing wall between the male and female sides of the bathing area. He pressed his ear to the bamboo and heard the distinct sound of splashing and female voices laughing. With an evil grin he backed up and jumped clean over the wall. "HELLOOOOO LADIES!" With a thundering splash he landed amidst the bathing women and that was when the blond decided to take his leave.

He walked away, enjoying the chorus of women roaring in feminine fury while a high-pitched, pain-filled scream echoed through the village. **"Kit, that was cruel, sadistic and borderline insane," **Kurama said as he appeared next to him. **"I'm so proud of you."** The fox wiped at an imaginary tear while the boy finally lost his bearing and collapsed, roaring with laughter.

"That was priceless! Still, not my best work."

"I must agree Naru-kun," a voice whispered in the blond's ear, making me freeze in terror. Slowly he turned to look behind him to see Anko standing there, clad only in a towel, wet hair just brushing her shoulders. Next to the woman stood a glaring, and fully clothed, Tenten. "I've seen you do much better, but that was still pretty good."

The only thought in Naruto's mind before he bolted, was a silent prayer to Kami that he would manage to survive to be on time for training tomorrow.

**And that's a wrap. Hope you all enjoy, tell me what you think of the clothes, if you have any suggestions let me know and we'll see if I can make 'em work.**

**Until next time,**

**Yurei King signing out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright, chapter 5, the genin test.**

**Sorry it took so long, was having a block**

**On with the chapter...**

Naruto sighed as he watched Sakura try to coerce the object of her affection (obsession) into going on a date with her. He was so glad his new friends had beat his feelings for the pink-haired banshee out of his head and made him focus on his career. Now here he was, hovering invisibly over his teammates in his ghost form, about to scare the ever-living crap out of them.

He drifted down to make his move, only to pause when the howler monkey in human form went on yet another tirade. "Where is that baka?" she screamed. "If he doesn't get here and sensei drops us for it I'm gonna pound his skull in!"

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke said. "That loser would just slow me down anyway."

The words of his supposed friends set something off in the blond and he grinned as a memory of something Anko did to him once came to mind. Chuckling evilly, he drew a kunai for each hand and turned visible while wrapping his arms around the two genin's necks. "It's not nice to insult your teammates you guys," he whispered, tapping the blades lightly against their collarbones. "After all, you never know when they could hold your life in their hands."

The avenger and banshee sat frozen as the stared at the weapons gently poking their windpipes. Naruto had never acted like this before and, quite frankly, it scared them. For Sakura, she missed the lovesick puppy that followed her around without question. For Sasuke, he wanted to know how the dobe had managed to sneak up on them and why he seemed so hostile when he was usually a stupidity-spouting moron.

"Naruto," the trio looked up to see Kakashi staring at them from his perch on top of a nearby tree branch. "While I agree that it is possible, I must ask you to refrain from threatening the lives of your teammates."

Naruto pouted for a moment, but grinned cheekily before pulling away from his teammates. "Ok sensei."

"Thank you," the jonin said and smiled as he dropped to the ground. "Now, are you ready to begin the test?" They nodded. "Good, the test is very simple. The three of you have to fight me, while trying to get these from me." He held up two bells that clinked together as he shook them.

"Now before one of you gets the idea of asking the obvious question, there is a reason why I only have two bells. The one who doesn't have a bell by the end of the test will have three things happen to them. First, I tie them to one of these logs. Second, I eat a bento while they watch. And finally, they're sent back to the academy."

"WHAT?" Kakashi inwardly chuckled at the trio's reaction before returning his thoughts on his current objective.

"That's right, and you have until noon to get one. Now, I should warn you," and here the jonin gave them a stern glare. "If you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you will _not_ get a bell."

The three genin paled at these words but Kakashi simply eye-smiled again, only for one hand to snap out and catch the wrist of young Naruto and twist it around until it and the kunai it held were pointed at his neck.

"You're too hasty," he said, tone almost one of boredom as he effortlessly kept his student locked in place. "I haven't even had the chance to say go."

He released his hold on the blond and pushed him away. "Alright, you guys ready?" They nodded. "Then go!"

The three vanished and the jonin chuckled as he decided to lean against one of the training posts. He could afford to be patient, but his genin were on a deadline and would be making a move any moment now. _'Let's see, Sakura is in the bushes to my right, Sasuke is crouched in the branches of that tree just a bit to my right. Now that I've found those two...where's the loud one?'_

He couldn't sense his blond student at all. Reaching out with his senses, the jonin searched for the third member of the party, only to find nothing. "Either that blond is so good at hiding I can't sense him, or he's got some kind of technique," he muttered. Little did Kakashi know, that Naruto was currently on the move, ready to turn this test against his sensei.

Changed into his ghost form, the now white-haired teen hovered through the trees, hidden in invisibility as he searched for his teammates. Since he had started training with Anko and Tenten, the trio and their ghostly companions had discovered a few extra perks that came along with Naruto's new powers. Once such perk, was that he possessed absolutely no chakra when transformed, meaning someone who would normally track him by sensing his chakra, such as a seasoned jonin, would not be able to find him.

Of course, that goes double for the Uchiha he was currently sneaking up on. Landing on a branch just above him the blond returned to his human form and tried to get the duck butt's attention. "Hey, teme," he whispered softly, still it was enough to freak Sasuke out and nearly fall from his perch in the tree.

"Naruto," he growled. "What do you think you're doing?" _'And how the hell did you manage to sneak up on me?'_

"I'm trying to beat this little test, but I'll need your help to do it."

"And why should I think of teaming up with you?"

"You really think you can take on a jonin with years of combat experience with an arrogant avenger, a blond prankster and the raving fangirl who worships the ground you step on and dreams of raping you at night?"

Sasuke just grunted and turned to walk away, Naruto sighed and turned to leave as well. He wouldn't even bother with Sakura, he knew it was a lost cause.

Unknown to both of them, Kakashi had created three Kage Bunshin before the test and had them spread out to follow and observe each of his students. The bunshin that had been following Naruto was highly impressed by his charge for discerning the meaning behind the test. Sasuke's bunshin, on the other hand, could only sigh in disappointment at the boy's arrogant attitude.

Naruto decided he'd have some fun while the test was still going so once more the half-ghost faded from sight and began to draw closer to his sensei's position. Once at the edge of the clearing he braced himself and charged.

Kakashi turned to see Naruto charging at him with reckless abandon. Smirking the teacher reached a hand into his shuriken pouch. He noticed his genin's eyes following the movement and slowly drew out his chosen item. With a flick of his wrist and a quick jerk of his arm he drew it out and held his hand in front of him to reveal...a book.

Naruto nearly tripped when he saw it. The instant he realized what had happened, the blond stopped running and two impulses grabbed hold of his mind. On one side, there was the prankster laughing his ass off at his sensei's antics. On the other there was the serious fighter Naruto had been training to become that wanted to tear him a new one. The two sides fought for domination, until a third option came. This option left a Naruto with a smirk that made Kakashi shiver slightly. _'Not good.'_

With a battle cry the prankster charged forward and swung with a right hook. Kakashi merely ducked, eyes still on the book in his hands, and then dodged another. With increasing ease he dodged Naruto's wild swings until a sudden thought struck him. Naruto raised his leg for a roundhouse kick, only to find his sensei had vanished.

"Where are you looking?" Startled, Naruto looked down to see his sensei crouching behind him, hands held in the 'tiger' seal. "You should never allow the enemy to get behind you," the jonin said sagely. "Now suffer for your foolishness. **Hidden Taijutsu: A Thousand Years of Death**"

Kakashi raised his hand and slammed it upward, giving his student what amounted to a glorified ass poke. However, instead of making contact, the jonin's attack went right through him. While he tried to understand what was happening, Naruto's stunned look morphed into a smirk of amusement.

The intangible genin jumped back and through Kakashi, who flinched at the cold feeling that passed over his skin as he did so. Acting out of reflex the seasoned jonin spun to face the trickster, only to find an empty field. "What's wrong sensei," Naruto's voice whispered in his ear. "Didn't you just say not to let your enemy get behind you?"

Kakashi jumped back, eyes darting around, trying to locate the mysterious blond. Unfortunately, all he got was a blow to the stomach. Naruto smirked as he tripped the stumbling jonin. _'I know he's holding back,' _he thought, _'but this is just way too fun.'_

The half-ghost allowed his invisibility to drop and materialized behind his sensei, back -to-back while looking over his shoulder. "Having a little trouble sensei?" he asked, that playful smirk still in plain sight.

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed as he glanced back at his student. "Well, I wouldn't say trouble now Naruto-kun. But I must admit you a few handy tricks up you sleeve. Mind telling me how you do that?"

Naruto just shrugged. "Maybe after we're done here," he said. "Oh, and you might want to look in front of you."

Kakashi's gaze flicked to the front, but saw nothing. He turned to question his student but found him gone. _'When did he...oh no.' _The seasoned jonin's hand went straight for where he had hung the bells, finding them still hanging by his belt he wondered where Naruto had gone.

"Wow sensei," Kakashi spun around to see Naruto sitting on top of one of the training posts, his little fox sitting in his lip, both of their eyes focused on the object in the blond's hand. A small, orange, hardback book. "This is pretty detailed. You know you shouldn't read this around minors, right?"

"H-how did yo-"

"I'm just awesome like that," he cut off the question, that infernal smirk still there, taunting Kakashi like a torero facing a bull in the ring.

"Naruto-kun," Kakashi said, his eye closing and giving the suggestion that he was smiling. It would have been a calming sight, were it not for the atmosphere turning extremely cold and a cloaked spirit seemed to appear in the air behind him. "I suggest you return that book unharmed. It would be a hazard to your safety if that book is harmed in any way whatsoever."

Naruto just stared at his sensei with a raised eyebrow. _'Man, to have that much killing intent over a book. He must really like it. Good thing I've been training with Ten-chan and Anko-chan or I'd be having trouble even moving.' _A sudden thought struck the blond prankster and his lips stretched into a feral grin.

"How about a trade sensei?" he asked, holding up a hand next to the book and concentrating. In seconds a light green aura began to appear around the empty hand, sparks traveling between his fingers in a threatening manner. "You give me those bells and your precious book goes free. Oh, and judging by the clock we only have a few minutes left so you better choose fast."

For a moment Kakashi was silent so Naruto moved to grab the book with his glowing hand. "STOP! You can have the bells just don't hurt my precious Icha Icha!"

"Kurama, get the bells," the fox huffed and jumped down, slowly walking toward the jonin. In a flash Kakashi had the fox in his grip with a kunai at his throat. "Set the book down and back up," he threatened, but he felt the fox seemingly disappear from his arms. In an instant Kurama was back in Naruto's lap, the bells firmly held in his muzzle and a playful gleam in his eyes.

"Looks like I've got both the bells and your book sensei," Naruto said, just as the timer went off.

Kakashi just sighed. "Alright then Naruto," he said, giving him a new eye-smile while Sasuke and Sakura emerged from the trees around the clearing. "Who moves on to be a teammate with you?"

The boy's answer was to toss both bells to his teammates and start to walk away. "Keep those two," he said. "We wouldn't work together that well anyway."

The jonin and two genin watched in shock for a moment as the boy and his fox walked away, only stopping when he heard Kakashi call out to him. "Be here at 7 a.m. Tomorrow, Naruto. You and these two just passed thanks to you."

Naruto just waved as he kept walking on. He kept going until he turned a bend in the path, hiding him from the others and that's when he stopped.

"I'm guessing the old man sent you?"

An Anbu member dropped from the trees next to him and approached him. "Yes Uzumaki-san. He sent me here to bring you to the tower, he wishes to speak with you."

Naruto sighed. "I'm guessing there's no time to grab something to eat."

The Anbu chuckled. "I'm afraid not Uzumaki-san. Shall we?"

"Go ahead." The Anbu, who Naruto noted was wearing a Bear mask, placed a hand on the young genin's shoulder. In a burst of chakra and an explosion of smoke, they vanished...only to reappear in the Hokage's office.

"Ah, thank you Bear," Hiruzen said, rolling up a scroll he had been reading and placing it to the side. "You may go now, I wish to speak with Naruto-kun in private."

"Hai Hokage-sama," Bear answered and turned to walk out the door. Hiruzen glanced over his shoulder and nodded, a move Naruto knew was a symbol for the other Anbu in the room to leave. Once they did so he placed his hand on some weird drawing on his desk and pulsed his chakra. The corners of the room lit up for a moment before returning to their normal state.

"Ah, privacy," Hiruzen said, lighting his pipe and taking a puff. "A gift so rarely given to one such as myself. Anyway, Naruto-kun. I believe we have something to discuss."

Naruto smiled and sat down in the chair sitting before his surrogate grandfather's desk and braced himself for a very long discussion.

**And that's where I'm ending it for now. Next chapter will be longer considering it's about time for the political crap to get underway. Expect pompous civilian windbags getting owned and Naruto looking like a one awesome dude.**

**So far the Harem still stands at:**

**Tenten**

**Ember**

**Anko **

**Desiree**

**Let me know if you got someone else to consider and be sure to GIVE ME A REASON. Don't just demand it be done or ask that it be done. Give me a legitimate reason to do so or it won't happen.**

**See y'all next time...yurei king signing out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Right then, apologies for the delay. Between work and writers' block I've been really held back in trying to update this work. **

**Just a heads up, this chapter and possibly the next will be serving as filler chapters for before the mission to Nami no Kuni and will be focused on training. Hope you all enjoy it and let me know what you think.**

**On with the chapter:**

"I think today we'll try something new," Kakashi addressed his team as they stood in the middle of Training Ground 7. A week had passed since the survival test and the jonin had to admit…he was not impressed. A week of teamwork training and the three just couldn't get along.

Naruto would try to be friendly only to be berated by Sakura. This in turn would cause Naruto's own little personality quirk to rise up and he ended up threatening the girl who then turned to Sasuke for some sort of help or confirmation only for him to claim both of them were just dead weight getting in the way, leading to another argument. Finally Kakashi decided he would try a different approach.

Pacing before his students with smut in hand, the cyclopean shinobi began to explain his plan. "I've been observing each of you during our short time together trying to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Now, I am going to explain them to each of you and then I will provide some advice for overcoming these. Your task is to choose whether or not to heed my words."

Kakashi lifted his gaze and looked to the blond member of his team. "Naruto. From what I've seen you're a veritable chakra powerhouse, which would be a big indicator for a ninjutsu type fighter however, this also means your chakra control is going to be atrocious. I suggest practicing chakra control constantly, I'll be teaching you a few of those later if you wish.

"Next is your taijutsu…it's horrible. You fight like a brawler, constantly lashing out with no plan. Now while you have that kekke genkai of yours it is not omnipresent. You need to train so you don't relay on that forever. A bloodline is a tool, not a crutch to depend on completely. Also, you have Kurama, your fox partner as well, but you two don't fight in tangent and that has to change."

Naruto nodded, face set with a grim frown of determination. The jonin returned the nod and moved to the lone kunoichi of the group.

"Sakura, you are extremely intelligent, earning perfect marks on every test in the academy when it came to academics. Sadly, the academy rules and information on history will only carry you so far. Your chakra reserves are the smallest of the team, this is handy for genjutsu and medical ninjutsu but you need to increase the size of your reserves if you wish to be useful as part of this team.

"Also I've watched how you eat, or rather don't eat and I must say it's very sad to see a young lady starve herself of so many vital nutrients. You diet because you're more concerned with looking pretty for Sasuke than you do your shinobi career and I'm half tempted to send you back to the academy and have my team put on reserve until a proper replacement is chosen."

He ignored the hurt look on his student's face and moved to the last member, Sasuke the self-proclaimed avenger of the Uchiha and known unofficially among the jonin as "The Council's Spoiled Brat."

"I don't even know where to begin with you Sasuke. Arrogant, brash, you believe you stand on a pedestal above your piers and should be handed power. You have some talent I'll admit but you flaunt it and you rush into battle just as recklessly as Naruto. You may have been a prodigy in the academy but that means nothing on the battlefield. I know you have pride in your clan's history Sasuke, but pride should not blind a person from achieving their true potential. I can make you strong, give you the tools to be great but I cannot in good conscience do so if I believe you would use it for ill means."

The veteran shinobi stopped his pacing, his lone eye drifting up from his book to observe the genins' reactions. Of the three he would say only Naruto's reaction to the evaluation was encouraging, where the others had a look of either rage or depression his was one of simple determination.

"Sensei," the blond said, gaining the attention of his entire team. "Please teach me how to be better."

With a flick of the wrist the book was shut and slipped back into the shuriken pouch as Kakashi's single eye narrowed. "Before I even begin to truly train any of you I must first be confident you will listen. If you want to be stronger I can help you but you must listen to me. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded.

"Good. **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.**" A perfect copy of the jonin appeared at his side. "Naruto you will go with my clone. He will teach you some basic chakra control exercises. You will train in these exercises for the remainder of the day."

The two quickly left and then the original looked to his other two students. "Next?" he asked. Surprising everyone, Sakura was the next to step forward. "Are you sure Sakura? I'll be giving you a strict layout for your meals if you do this. You can't cheat out of it."

The pink-haired girl nodded and in moments another clone was spawned. "This clone will take you to the library. There you and he shall checkout a selection of reading material on the following subjects: Nutrition, Tactics, Genjutsu, Medical Ninjutsu and Chakra Control. After you have the books he will seal them into a scroll and then take you to the market where you will by food he picks out and then you will return to your home where you will work out a detailed diet. Any questions?"

"No sensei." Kakashi nodded and his clone stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder and activating the shunshin jutsu. Finally it was Sasuke's turn.

"Listen to me Sasuke. I've been exactly where you are. Girls worshipped the ground I walked on and my superiors did nothing but encourage me. But with all my strength I lost everything and everyone I ever cared about. My team, my precious people, every single one of them were killed and I could do nothing to save them.

"I wanted revenge. I trained with the sole purpose of getting back at the scum that murdered them. But do you know what happened after I got my revenge? I was left empty and alone with only that Memorial Stone. I visit that stone every day, staring at the names of my closest friends, all of them who gave their lives for this village."

Sasuke pondered his sensei's words with a thoughtful frown. Seeing he was finally making an impression Kakashi pressed his advantage. "I'm not telling you to abandon your hope of brining your brother to justice, far from it actually. All I'm saying is find something to live for in the mean time. Grow strong to protect and then one day when you meet Itachi again, let your friends stand at your side and help you."

The jonin turned to leave but stopped long enough to offer one last piece of advice. "Naruto has suffered for far longer than you ever have, yet he is still able to smile and laugh with the others in his class. Maybe you should think about that as well."

Kakashi used the shunshin and vanished, leaving Sasuke alone with his thoughts. The brooding Uchiha found himself doubting his goals for the first time that he could recall. His gaze turned up and he saw Naruto training with Kakashi's clone near some trees, not having anything else to do he decided to watch and see if he could garner anything useful.

He didn't approach them, choosing instead to keep his distance. It was a given the clone knew he was there, but it ignored him, choosing to keep on eye on the blond as he once again tried to climb a tree with only his feet. He managed only a few steps before slipping and falling, landing on the back of his head with a loud crash.

"Naruto, try to feel the chakra like I've told you," the clone said. Naruto grunted, sitting up and rubbing the spot where he'd impacted with a grimace.

"I'm trying sensei," he grumbled. "It's just hard to get the feeling right.

Kakashi's clone nodded. "Alright, just keep trying. I'm going to go and visit the library real quick and grab you a couple of books on chakra control, is there any other kind of book that would interest you?"

Naruto paused for a moment, considering the question. "Yeah, how about some books on strategy?"

"Interested in becoming a tactician?"

"Well, I usually fly by instinct like when we had that survival test."

"And I must say it was a unique twist," his clone commented. "But I'm guessing you want to have a little forethought in your movements as well?" Naruto nodded. "Well, judging by your pranking exploits if you ever learned to strategize on the battlefield you would be one person I wouldn't want to fight."

"Why's that?"

Kakashi sighed; sometimes his student could just be a little too dense sometimes. "You know what, I'm gonna grab a book on traps as well, it could come in handy to have a trap master on our team after all. Just keep practicing the exercise until I come back."

"Sure," the genin said, earning a nod from his sensei before he left, using a shunshin just as the original had done only a few moments before. It wasn't until he was sure his sensei was gone that Naruto spoke again. "You gonna come out now or are you trying to impersonate Sakura?"

The avenger stepped forward, chuckling a little at the joke. "How long did you know I was standing there?" he asked. "I never saw you turn around."

Naruto pointed at Kurama, who happened to be lying at the base of the tree he'd been climbing. "He's been watching you since you started watching. I noticed it and since he didn't say anything I just figured it'd be you."

"Where did you find a fox like that anyway? He acts a lot like Kiba's puppy."

Naruto chuckled. "I've heard that a few times, in a way you could say he's similar. We're partners, even if we don't always get along all the time. Anyway, did you need something?"

"I was just curious about something and figured I'd ask."

"What you got?"

Sasuke frowned, trying to put his thoughts into words. "Kakashi said something about you suffering as bad as I have. What did he mean by that?"

The genin blinked and Naruto's small smile was gone, in its place was a blank look that just seemed way too out of place for someone like him. "That is something I can't talk about," he said, turning back to the tree.

"Why not?" Sasuke found himself even more curious from his teammate's reaction.

"I don't trust you enough."

"Again, why not?"

"We may be on the same team Sasuke, but we're not teammates yet. There are things I want to tell you and Sakura but I can't until I'm sure I can trust you. Until then I won't tell you."

"Then what will it take to trust me," Sasuke asked, genuinely curious now.

"Well for starters you can help with this damn tree walking thing."

"Can't help you there dobe. I haven't done this either."

"Well you might as well start practicing with me so we both learn something."

"Hn," was the raven-haired boy's only response but nevertheless he took his stance next to the blond half-ghost and prepared to run. "Give me a breakdown."

"Focus chakra to your feet and stick to the tree. Too much you get blasted off, too little and you just slide off."

Sasuke nodded and was about to charge when a sudden thought struck him and he felt a smirk spreading across his face. "Wanna make this interesting?"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow at the question. "What have you got in mind?"

"I make it to the top first, you can't eat your precious ramen for a month."

"Okay," Naruto matched his smirk with one of his own, the very smirk he wore when he'd either pulled off one of his famous pranks or was setting one up. "But if I win you have to take Sakura on a date." Sasuke's face paled the moment he said that.

"That's a low blow dobe."

"You tried to take my ramen teme."

'_Note to self, stay the hell away from the ramen,' _Sasuke thought but he simply nodded. "Alright, deal." The two shook and then took off, determined to win. Unknown to the two, the original Kakashi was perched in a nearby tree and heard everything that had passed between the two teenagers.

"Well, looks like there might be a future for this team after all," he said and turned the page of his little orange book. A moment passed and then the veteran jonin let out a small giggle. "Oh Kisara you naughty, naughty girl."

**Timeskip – sunset:**

Naruto fazed through the door to his apartment, too tired to bother fishing through his pockets to find his key. With a sigh he draped his vest over the back of the lone chair sitting at his kitchen table popped open his refrigerator to browse for something to eat. Normally the blond would just fix up a cup of instant ramen, time spent with Anko and Tenten had at least changed that. He only ate ramen a couple of times a week and his kitchen was stashed with healthy snacks to supply proper nutrition.

With that in mind Naruto plucked an apple from within and was about to close it when a sudden thought struck him. "Hey Kurama," he called over his shoulder. "You want anything?"

"**I'm fine, unless you got anymore of that raw beef."**

"I got a pack of that left," he said, taking said meat and dumping it in a bowl. Meal in one hand and apple in the other, Naruto made his way to the living room where his companion had curled up on the couch. He set the bowl on the floor, the fox jumping down and quickly devouring it as he took a bite out of his apple. "Well, I think I'm gonna hit the sack," he said. "Training took it out of me today."

"**Yes, all those hits to the head must have been very exhausting." **

"Just eat your food," the genin grumbled. "I'm off to bed. Could you wake me up around six? Kakashi-sensei said to be there at seven but I'm gonna be a bit early and get some extra training in."

"**You do realize he's gonna be two hours late anyway right?"**

"More time for me then," was simple answer as Naruto swallowed the last bit of his apple and began to walk toward his room, tossing the core into the trash as he went. He stepped through the door, not bothering to turn the lights on and relieved himself of his shirt before plopping down on the bed. He only had enough time to register that something was off before two slender arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him back against something very soft.

"Naruto-kun," a familiar voice sensually whispered in his ear. "You really shouldn't keep a girl waiting you know. It's bad manners."

Startled, Naruto instinctually turned intangible and fazed through the arms that had captured him and bolted to the light switch. When the lights turned on the boy was granted a sight that would be burned into his memory for a long time. Anko Mitarashi was lying in his bed, her hair left to hang free and she was clad only in a purple bikini. He let his eyes roam over the woman's developed body, drinking in the sight and burning the image into his mind forever. Noticing his intense stare Anko smirked and crossed her arms under her chest, pushing the mounds up slightly and pressing them together.

"Do see something you like Naruto-kun?" she cooed, winking at the blushing blond.

That was when all the stimulation hit Naruto at once and without warning he was sent rocketing backwards, a stream of blood shooting from both of his nostrils. The force of the propulsion sent him back through the open bedroom door and into the living room where he crashed headfirst into the couch. Kurama looked up from his meal to see his partner passed out with a goofy grin on his face and then looked to where he'd come flying from to see a smirking Anko standing in the doorway.

"**You are such a tease."**

"Well he seems to enjoy it," she responded.

"**What hot-blooded male with half a brain wouldn't?" **he shot back, earning a nod from the woman. **"Just make sure he's in bed before you leave."**

"Who said I'm leaving?" Anko retorted stepping forward and easily picking up the half-ghost with one hand. "I've broken most of the pathetic meatbags at the I&T Department so unless we get some victim the lackeys can't break I'm free for the next couple of days."

"**Does that mean you and the girls will be doing some ghost training?"**

Anko nodded. "Yeah, Desiree talked to Clockwork and he agreed to have Erasmus look into giving us some small ectoplasmic manipulation abilities. Nothing to extreme, just being able to coat our weapons in it just incase we end up fighting a ghost."

"**A wise move," **Kurama commented, licking his bowl clean before curling up on the couch once again. **"Anyway, enjoy your night with the kit."**

"Oh I plan to." As Anko disappeared into the room once again the fox could have sworn he heard Naruto mumble something about being in both heaven and hell and chuckled at the boy's predicament. He settled down to sleep and prepare for the next day, maybe this time he'll get some training of his own in as well.

**And Cut!**

**So yeah, showed some small bonding, Sasuke got a bit of a wake-up call and the team is beginning to come together if only just a bit. I made Kakashi actually be serious about training his genin in this; I just don't like how he taught Naruto and Sakura almost nothing while Sasuke got personal attention. It doesn't fit logically with how it should go so I made him an actual teacher. It's still pretty obvious he isn't meant cut out to be a teacher since he spent the better part of his career leading a team of Anbu into high class missions not snot-nosed, wet behind the ears, greenhorn genin shinobi so he knows it will take some time to get something going but at least he's trying.**

**Now I know Rin's death left him pretty much out of it and it was Obito that killed the Kiri-nin that were there when it happened. I'll go into more detail on that later but for now I'll just say…Kakashi had a momentary lapse in rational thinking and he made sure to leave more than just her body on the field when he was done.**

**Also I know it's short, I'll try and make the next one longer. Please be patient with me.**

**Anyway next chapter is a bit of human and ghost training, hope you all enjoy that. **

**Until next time…yurei king signing out!**


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